Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The political will and mutual concessions from all sides are required for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, new U.S. co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick said in Yerevan on September 12, Armenian media reported.

During the meeting with journalists, the U.S. diplomat said the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is impossible without public understanding that the settlement of the problem is in the interests of future generations.

"The principles of the Helsinki Final Act - non-use of force and threats, the right to self-determination and territorial integrity continue to guide us in this process," he stressed. "If we want to succeed, there must be concessions from all sides."

The U.S. diplomat said that he visited the region for the first time and wants to hear the views of all parties and get acquainted with the general atmosphere.

The diplomat said that he did not have new proposals for the parties.

"As the U.S. co-chairman, I assure you that we are ready to continue working with Russia, France and the international community to resolve the issue," Warlick added.

During the visit to Armenia, Warlick met with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister and the sides discussed the current stage and prospects of the negotiation process on settlement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

Armenian media reported that Warlick will participate in the regular monitoring, which will be conducted on the contact line of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces by the OSCE mission on September 13.

On September 10, during the visit to Azerbaijan, Warlick called for joint efforts of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the regional states and said it's time to put an end to hatred and suffering.

He noted it's time for all sides involved to work together on the basis of the Helsinki Final Act.

Warlick is paying his first visit to the South Caucasus region to meet with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and also travel to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The U.S. co-chair expects meetings with his counterparts from the OSCE Minsk Group to discuss all the details of the peace process.

According to Warlick, the meeting with the Russian and French co-chairs will take place soon in New York on the sidelines of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly.

On September 9, the Azerbaijani President and Defense Minister received the Minsk Group co-chair.

During his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev, Warlick handed over US President Barack Obama's letter to the Azerbaijani President.

Obama noted in the letter that it is time to restore peace in the region.

Warlick was appointed as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair in August.

In December, Robert Bradtke completed his term as the U.S. Minsk Group co-chair. Ian Kelly was named as the U.S. co-chair on an interim basis on December 21, 2012, pending the appointment of a new permanent co-chair.

The U.S., along with Russia and France, has long been working to broker a solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the Minsk Group, but their efforts have been largely fruitless so far.